theater

Melodrama Is ‘Really Really’ Unpersuasive

Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Really Really,” from MCC Theater, is a glaringly manipulative “Did it happen or didn’t it?” melodrama about contemporary college students behaving badly.

This Meta 'Iphigenia in Aulis' Is a bit Much

Powerful performances help this overly directed, aggressively modernized version of Euripides’ “Iphigenia in Aulis,” at La MaMa, which references Eric Shanower’s “Age of Bronze.”

'Ladyhouse Blues' Doesn't Sing as It Should

Kevin O’Morrison’s 1979 drama “Ladyhouse Blues,” about a working-class woman holding her four daughters close after World War I, gets an uneven production from Andak Stage Company.

'Donnybrook!,' What Have They Done to Ye?

Irish Rep’s revised, pared-down version of “Donnybrook!,” the 1961 Broadway musical adaptation of “The Quiet Man,” lurches by in fastforward despite Johnny Burke’s lilting score.

'Sketches From the National Lampoon' Is Delightfully Outrageous

Matty Simmons’ “Sketches From the National Lampoon,” at the Hayworth Theatre, pokes ridiculously skewed fun at everything and anyone unlucky enough to come into its crosshairs.

'Caged' Reveals Much About the World We Live In

Charles A. Duncombe’s “Caged,” at City Garage, is full of sharp, funny, and touching observations about the human species but is more a fascinating study than a compelling drama.

'A Family Thing' Prefers Telling Over Showing

Gary Lennon’s “A Family Thing,” about a trio of troubled brothers, from Echo Theater Company, relies too heavily on clichés and stereotypes, giving the actors little to work with.

Uneven 'Much Ado About Nothing' Still Delights

Jonathan Cake’s Benedick emerges victorious in the amorous skirmishes of Theatre for a New Audience’s handsome but unbalanced rendering of Shakespeare‘s “Much Ado About Nothing.”

‘Tartuffe Lab’ Riffs Electrifyingly on Molière

More examination of Molière than scripted event, California Repertory Company’s “Tartuffe Lab,” directed by Eberhard Koehler, is a rollicking, hugely original freeform grab bag.

Minimalist 'Hamlet' Provides Maximum Effect

With this high-energy, minimalist, four-actor edition of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the theater ensemble Bedlam renders a passionate but richly textured Denmark for the ages.